How long does it take to reblock a house?
- 90% of houses will take between 5 and 10 days.
Does Always Level Reblocking and Underpinning guarantee their work?
- Yes. We provide a 15 year guarantee on our work.
Do I need to be out of my property while you are at work
- Generally not. We will advise you on the extant of works that will be undertaken before we start the project and how this will affect your living arrangements. More than 90% of residents stay in their property while we work.
I plan to renovate, at what stage should I look at restumping or underpinning?
- Restumping or underpinning must be the first part of a renovation project. This is because we literally move your house back to the correct level it should be. This movement can affect plaster work, paintwork, tiles and other parts of your home.
What is the difference between underpinning, reblocking and restumping?
- Reblocking and restumping are terms that describe replacing the old 'block' or 'stump' foundations of a home with new concrete stumps. Reblocking and restumping is applied mostly to older weatherboard homes which are slight raised off the ground with their foundations. The terms can be used interchangeably.
Underpinning is the process fixing a properties foundations and returning the home to it's original level if that property's foundations are a concrete slab. This mostly applies to brick veneer homes. Typically a concrete slab will, over time crack and sink into the earth at one spot or another. We prop up the slab (or underpin the slab) with a number of 20 tonne jacks where it has sunk and fill the space with concrete to return the slab to it's original flat level.What sort of materials do you use?
- Our stumps are concrete stumps which are built to last much longer than wooden stumps, which is why we are confident in giving a fifteen year guarantee on our work. In the past, wooden stumps were used for the foundations of houses and over time the wood rots. The concrete stumps are sunk a minimum of 450mm into the earth and concreted into place.
How do I know if my house needs restumping?
- Typical signs of structural instability include:
- cracks in plaster work and brickwork
- Sloping floors
- Decay of foundations beneath the house
- Doors creaking or not closing properly Another indicator is the age of your house. If your house was built before 1970 then there is a good chance it will be due for reblocking or underpinning soon. Don't wait too long to reblock your house as it can be dangerous to leave your house's foundations in poor condition.